Field Of Contemporary Art Research Articles

THE INFLUENCE OF THEOSOPHY ON MODERN PAINTING

An interesting subject that delves into the junction of spirituality, philosophy, and creative expression is the effect of Theosophy on contemporary painting. In the late 19th century, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky established the spiritual movement known as Theosophy. Theosophy is a belief system that seeks to discover the truth about the oneness of all faiths and delve further into the secrets of life, positing the existence of concealed realities beyond the material world. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Theosophy wielded a transformative influence on the field of contemporary art. Its principles were not just influential, but potent enough to reshape the work of even the most prominent painters. Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky is a testament to this; his journey was not just instrumental, but transformative in the ascent of abstract expressionism.Theosophical teachings resonated deeply with Kandinsky, echoing not just his profound spirituality, but his personal quest to uncover art's hidden significance. Theosophy posited the existence of concealed realities beyond the material world, placing not just a premium, but a profound importance on the spiritual facets of life. For Kandinsky, art was not just a portal, but a profound conduit for these higher realms, a conduit for the cosmic spirit to manifest. This profoundly impacted Kandinsky as he veered away from realistic imagery and delved into the realm of abstract painting. He aimed to articulate spiritual experiences and emotions through the medium of color and shape. For instance, in his painting 'Composition VII, 'Kandinsky used vibrant colors and dynamic shapes to convey a sense of spiritual energy and movement. Driven by the belief that art could convey profound, transcendent truths, his work progressively shed its symbolic nature. Famous for his geometric abstract paintings, Piet Mondrian was another artist impacted by Theosophy. Theosophy's principles of spiritual progress and cosmic oneness resonated with Mondrian's search for inner peace and a sense of cosmic order, which were crucial to his creative process. For instance, in his painting 'Composition with Red, Yellow, and Blue, 'Mondrian used primary colors and straight lines to represent the harmony and balance he believed existed in the universe, a concept aligned with philosophical ideas. Beyond specific artists, the influence of Theosophy on contemporary art might be seen in more systemic currents like Abstract Expressionism and Symbolism. Some artists, like the symbolists, drew inspiration from the theosophical tradition's emphasis on introspection and mystical themes. Theosophy had not just a significant but a lasting impact on contemporary painting. It inspired painters to seek not just new ways but innovative ways of expressing themselves that went beyond traditional depictions. Modern painting's enduring legacy is not just profoundly rooted but intricately intertwined with theosophical ideas of spirituality, oneness, and inner change, which fostered not just the emergence but the flourishing of abstract and emotionally charged art forms, such as Wassily Kandinsky's abstract expressionism and Piet Mondrian's geometric abstraction, which aimed not just to convey, but to evoke spiritual and emotional experiences through non-representational forms.

Trends in the study of the image of a modern man in the art of Russia at the beginning of the XXI century

The subject of the study is the consideration of modern trends in the study of fine art, in particular Russian portrait and narrative painting of the beginning of the XXI century. The object is scientific works related to various fields of the humanities, namely: art history, aesthetics, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, psychology, etc. Using their material, it is possible to show not only the difference in approaches to understanding the essence and role of the image of a modern person in the art process, but also to demonstrate the specifics of the artistic interpretation of this figurative system in the context of art criticism, cultural and philosophical issues. Such a study allows us to systematize existing ideas about the peculiarities of the development of anthropological subjects in the mainstream of contemporary fine art in modern Russia, to identify the main directions. The main methodological basis of the study was a systematic approach that allowed us to consider contemporary Russian art as a single system. This helped to compare the approaches of modern researchers analyzing the place and role of the human image in it. Through the postmodern paradigm of perception and interpretation of anthropological topics, to identify the essential features of the ideas of Russian scientists. Methods of art historical analysis were also used. The starting point of the research is that at the moment in Russian science there is a body of art history and cultural studies devoted to the development of contemporary art in the country. However, there are no works summarizing the existing experience of scientists and defining the main directions of scientific thought. In light of this, the scientific novelty of the article lies in expanding the understanding of the methodological apparatus necessary for the analysis of the anthropological trend in the visual arts of our time, which is a promising path for future research in this area. The most demanded conceptual philosophical and historical-cultural foundations for the analysis and solution of practical problems in the field of contemporary art in relation to the representation of the human image are identified. Empirical research material has been collected and analyzed.

Understanding careers as translations: the importance of Bruno Latour for the study of careers

PurposeThis paper argues that Bruno Latour’s work on translation provides an alternative to dominant anthropocentric, individualistic and managerial approaches in career studies by considering careers as precarious effects of networks instead of the implicit assumption of individual strategic career actors in extant career research paradigms.Design/methodology/approachThe article first compares the three main current approaches to studying careers – structural functionalist, interpretivist and critical – illustrated by three exemplary empirical studies. Subsequently, three concepts from the sociology of translation that are relevant for the study of careers are introduced: career making as translating interests, careers as effects of networks and career action as dislocated and overtaken. Taken together, these three concepts allow us to conceive of careers as practices performed by human and nonhuman actors. Finally, an example from an ethnographic case study in the field of contemporary art illustrates how a Latourian approach can be used.FindingsLatour’s work on translation provides conceptual and methodological tools to investigate career processes and practices in an era of unpredictability.Originality/valueThe paper introduces Bruno Latour’s work on translation to the study of careers.

Theatre art: Conceptual and categorical problems

Theatre art is a fundamental component of modern culture and requires a detailed analysis of the problems of a set of interrelated concepts, which will reflect the key substantive and functional aspects concerning theatre art. The research relevance is determined by the description of the problems of the conceptual and categorical apparatus of theatrical art for the first time is subjected to a complex structural and semantic analysis, which is necessary to determine the study of ways of forming new terms, which will make it possible to present the system of modern theatrical terminology in a holistic form. The study aims to analyse and describe the contemporary problems of the conceptual and categorical apparatus of theatrical art. General scientific methods of art history were used: method of analysis, comparative analysis, synthesis, analogy, and classification. The article investigates the whole stage space as one of the components in the context of the conceptual categorical apparatus of modern art history. Contemporary theatre art is undergoing an active evolution, with artists striving for innovation, using interactive elements, multimedia technology and art installations to create a deep and rich experience for the audience. An important aspect is to involve the viewer in the experience, where the traditional boundaries between actors and audience are blurred and the viewer becomes an active participant. Theatres also emphasise diversity, aiming to reflect different cultures and identities on stage. However, there are problems with the conceptual and categorical apparatus, requiring the development of new terms to accurately describe contemporary phenomena in theatre. Sarcasm and irony prevail, artists seek new directions, and all this happens in the context of the diversity of theatre traditions, creating challenges in the exchange of experiences between cultures. The materials discussed in this article can be applied by both theorists and practitioners of contemporary art history in their writings and as material for teaching in the educational process when training specialists in the field of contemporary art

CONTEMPORARY ART AND ART MANAGEMENT INITIATIVES IN THE CONTEXT OF LOCAL SOCIAL TRANSFORMATIONS IN UKRAINE: THE CASE OF THE TEPLE MISTO PLATFORM

Most of the art projects related to modern art take place in the capital. Other Ukrainian cities mostly have few powerful centers for the promotion of modern art and few active representatives of art management. However, such initiatives outside the capital can have a significant impact on social transformations. The purpose of this article is to analyze the activity of art management of the public platform of Ivano-Frankivsk Teple Misto in the field of contemporary art. In the last nine years, this platform has implemented numerous projects that are aimed at social transformations in the urban community. One of the areas of its activity is the engagement of the city’s public with modern art through exhibitions, murals, performances, educational projects, etc. These projects were implemented through a number of grants from Teple Misto. Art managers of the platform work on the Warm Art program. After 2018, this program was transformed into other projects. Contemporary visual art has been chosen as the focus of artistic initiatives for the purpose of promoting artistic processes in the city. Since 2015, the projects Residence for Artists, Open Art Lecture Hall, grants for exhibitions, etc. have served this goal. In addition, the project promotes famous art figures of the 20th century from Ivano-Frankivsk and the region through the support of exhibitions of the art by Paraska Plytka-Horytsvit, Osyp Sorokhtei, Stepan Nazarenko and others

PECULIARITIES OF THE FORMATION OF PUBLIC ART IN THE LATE 20TH AND THE EARLY 21ST CENTURIES: CONCEPTUAL CONTENT AND TERMINOLOGY

The article is devoted to the study of the conceptual and terminological essence of public art, an artistic phenomenon in the art of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The article reveals the characteristic features of public art and related areas of “street” art, primarily street art and graffiti art, phenomena that share a common space with public art in the city and at the same time use identical artistic mechanisms of addressing the audience. The universality of public art’s position in the extremely saturated visual field of contemporary art is comprehended. The constant growth of forms and development of public art techniques significantly actualizes the issue of studying its conceptual and terminological nature. The author of the article proposes to consider public art as a synthetic artistic phenomenon, the formation of which is associated with attempts to interpret various aspects of urban culture and give it an artistic assessment. Based on the analysis of the historiography of the problem, two stages can be traced in the definition of public art. At the first stage (the1980s – 1990s), there were attempts to define the main conceptual field of public art, to coordinate its coexistence with other forms of urban artistic practices. During the second stage (the 2000s – 2010s), the analysis of the internal genealogy of public art and the study of its artistic properties continues. The historical genealogy of public art shows constant attempts to define its own artistic boundaries. This process has a mediative form, as it requires reconciliation of various points of view: artists, customers, city authorities, and viewers. From our point of view, this feature gives grounds to define the artistic essence of public art as an art of mediation. The materials in this article provide many different examples of public art that clearly reveal some of the artistic features of this artistic phenomenon

Formation of the Street Art Discourse by private institutions: on the example of the Inloco Foundation

The subject of this study is the process of entering the art world of a new object – the art of the street wave. Based on the method of discursive analysis proposed by M. Foucault, an attempt is made to determine through which discursive utterances the subjects of the art world form the discourse of street wave art, as well as how the field of utterances is organized. The subject whose activity is being investigated is the St. Petersburg Inloco Foundation, which focuses in its work on artists whose creative career has a street background. The article describes the characteristics of what can be conceptualized as a statement in the activities of the Foundation, and also describes how the field of these statements is organized. In the course of the study, the forms of sequences, forms of coexistence and intervention procedures were considered. It was revealed that the experience of street creativity of representatives of the art of the street wave is being modified under the influence of discursive practices of the field of contemporary art. It is noted that the art of the street wave exists at the junction of two fields – the field of graffiti and the field of institutionalized art. It is concluded that the borderline position of street wave art allows it to expand the field of contemporary art due to the fact that it was once in the field of "non-art", was extracted by the subjects of the art world from the sphere of everyday life and endowed with the status of a candidate for evaluation.

Contested traditions: contemporary Chinese fiber art and Gu Wenda’s Wisdom Comes from Tranquility (1986)

This study examines Gu Wenda’s mixed-media installation, Wisdom Comes from Tranquility (1986), as part of the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and the ‘culture fever’ of the 1980s; in this timeframe and Chinese art-historical framework the artwork exemplifies how seemingly innocuous traditions can, in fact, be politically charged. In Wisdom Comes from Tranquility, a pioneering Chinese installation that combined ink art and fiber art, Gu used his insider’s perspective to appropriate literati art and challenge its historicized value. Considering Gu’s art offers a broader perspective of the contemporary art field in 1980s China, which needs to include fiber art, especially in relation to the under-recognized Bulgarian artist and educator, Maryn Varbanov (1932–1989).

Theatre art: Conceptual and categorical problems

Theatre art is a fundamental component of modern culture and requires a detailed analysis of the problems of a set of interrelated concepts, which will reflect the key substantive and functional aspects concerning theatre art. The research relevance is determined by the description of the problems of the conceptual and categorical apparatus of theatrical art for the first time is subjected to a complex structural and semantic analysis, which is necessary to determine the study of ways of forming new terms, which will make it possible to present the system of modern theatrical terminology in a holistic form. The study aims to analyse and describe the contemporary problems of the conceptual and categorical apparatus of theatrical art. General scientific methods of art history were used: method of analysis, comparative analysis, synthesis, analogy, and classification. The article investigates the whole stage space as one of the components in the context of the conceptual categorical apparatus of modern art history. Contemporary theatre art is undergoing an active evolution, with artists striving for innovation, using interactive elements, multimedia technology and art installations to create a deep and rich experience for the audience. An important aspect is to involve the viewer in the experience, where the traditional boundaries between actors and audience are blurred and the viewer becomes an active participant. Theatres also emphasise diversity, aiming to reflect different cultures and identities on stage. However, there are problems with the conceptual and categorical apparatus, requiring the development of new terms to accurately describe contemporary phenomena in theatre. Sarcasm and irony prevail, artists seek new directions, and all this happens in the context of the diversity of theatre traditions, creating challenges in the exchange of experiences between cultures. The materials discussed in this article can be applied by both theorists and practitioners of contemporary art history in their writings and as material for teaching in the educational process when training specialists in the field of contemporary art

Irena Wojnar o potencjale edukacyjnym sztuki nowoczesnej

The article presents the educational potential of modern art as art contemporary for the theory of education through art, introduced to the Polish pedagogical thought in the 1960s by Irena Wojnar. In the initial stage of shaping the Polish theory of aesthetic education, Wojnar analysed the relationship between aesthetics and pedagogy, paying attention to the educational possibilities not only of “classical” art, but also of modern art. Despite her later approach to treating art as a whole, in her early publications, the then young researcher distinguished contemporary art, paying attention to its cognitive, emotional and creative potential, which was compatible with the modern civilisation of the second half of the 20th century. Contemporary discussions on the educational possibilities of art are often limited to canonical art, treating contemporary art with reserve. The first publications by Irena Wojnar, presented in the article, show the educational potential of contemporary art of the 1960s, which was characterised by controversy and incompatibility with previously learned ways of perceiving art. Wojnar saw a place in education for contemporary art and called for educating teachers in the field of contemporary art. This text presents the educational aspects of modern art, distinguished by Irena Wojnar in her first scientific publications in the 1960s. The text is also an invitation to rediscover the innovation of the theory of education through art.

Experiment of the World-Picture Logic Philosophy: Towards a Relational Theology

Abstract This paper focuses on the discussion of the concepts of “mixed modern,” “humanist criticism” and “world relational aesthetics” proposed by the author, which are academic outputs of research and critical engagements in the field of contemporary art and culture. It points out that the concept of “mixed modern” constitutes a kind of cultural logic to understand the reality in China; the theory of humanist criticism belongs to a paradigm for criticism in contemporary art, where the individual person is in the focus; the idea of “world relational aesthetics” emphasizes the internal logic and coherence of the theory itself in the process of interpretation. From a broader perspective, as part of the author’s philosophy of art, they are only the “artistic” and “experimental” results of the world-picture logic philosophy, which is finally based on a revealed theology of relation.

Quality improvement path and countermeasures of visual arts for future metaverse: Based on G1-entropy value method

As the most popular art category in the contemporary art field, visual art is no longer limited to traditional art categories such as painting, sculpture and photography, but develops into more diverse forms of expression with the continuous iteration of science and technology. As the most cutting-edge and popular concept in the world today, the research, development and application of science and technology have attracted close attention from all walks of life, including management, economy, transportation, education and teaching. However, there is no in-depth and clear research between the concept of metaverse and the concept of metaverse in the art field, especially in the visual art field. We believe that visual art creation under the background of the metaverse will be an important direction of art development in the future, and will also greatly promote the improvement of the visual presentation quality of the metaverse. Therefore, we focus our research in this study on the issue of visual art quality assessment and propose a theory and method for assessing the quality of visual art in a future-oriented metaverse. This method is based on the G1 entropy method in fuzzy mathematics. In our research, we have built a visual art field architecture based on the metaverse. Considering the difference between the traditional visual art evaluation index system and the index system after the introduction of the concept of the future metaverse, we have built a brand-new visual art quality evaluation index system facing the future metaverse. This indicator is composed of four first-class indicators and twelve second-class indicators. We combine the subjective and objective weighting G1 entropy method as the method basis for the quantitative calculation results of the indicator weight. On the basis of quantitative analysis, we propose three-point countermeasures for improving the visual art quality of the future metaverse. Our research makes up for the gap in the theory of visual art quality evaluation after the introduction of the concept of the future metaverse, innovates the analysis of new concepts and the improvement of old methods, builds a new scene of organic combination of new technology and traditional visual art, and provides a new idea for the improvement of visual art quality in the future at home and abroad, It can also provide experience and theoretical support for the academic topic of similar art quality evaluation research at home and abroad.

The Remains of the Day: Re-tracing Archival Art through Dayanita Singh and Ali Kazim

The history of modern South Asian art has been fast-moving, but art that is about modern South Asian history is still in its infancy. While the art of the post-Independence era continues to wrest with the legacies of colonisation, fractured nationhood, majoritarian politics, and weakening secular legacies, there is a strain of this art preoccupied with the historical gaze. In relation to works of art by Dayanita Singh and Ali Kazim, the aesthetics of representing archives and archiving can be examined in order to explore the politics of nationalism and historical change, as well as the global neoliberal economies of institutional archiving practices. The tendency to look back constantly over the region's past raises questions about whom these artistic interventions address and the archival logics at work within this distinctive field of contemporary art.

On Feminist Aesthetics and Anti-Propaganda in Russia

The feminist agenda in Russia experienced a phase of intense aesthetic search in the field of contemporary art and contemporary theater. The split in society, war, increased censorship and state propaganda, and mass emigration stopped this process. Feminist ethics and aesthetics are oriented toward democratic values and the absolute value of human life; it is difficult for them to survive in totalitarian states. Using material from the history of feminism and aesthetic practices in the post-perestroika decades of Russia, this article examines two historical forms of such survival: the Stockholm syndrome and, in more detail, “anti-propaganda”, the popularization of the feminist agenda through aesthetic practices with mandatory feedback and the utmost attention to individual fate and personal trauma.

Intersection Points Between Contemporary Art and Design

New tendencies in the design of cultural spaces have been used to visualize futuristic ideas in design through contemporary art. This research aims to identify the intersection points between contemporary art and design based on a survey of students and to carry out a SWOT analysis of the latest technology implementation process for the professional training of future specialists in the design and contemporary art to establish the benefits of using the latest technology. Results. We analyzed the elements of contemporary art and principles of art and design in modern art to identify points of intersection between contemporary art and design. As a result of the study, it was found that the use of the latest technology benefits both students and teachers; contributes to the development of practical skills of future professionals in the field of contemporary art and design based on the use of the latest technology; development of the ability to use the latest technology in contemporary art and design; development of algorithmic style and culture of thinking of students.

The Heresy of Didactic Art

The Heresy of Didactic Art

The past is present Curating multi-temporality: the contemporary and the classical

A recent trend within classical studies has been to readjust our perspective on what we call the classical by insisting ‘on the inextricable role of classical antiquity in informing the present and the importance of the study of antiquity for the practice of history and the humanities themselves in a technologically advanced, rapidly changing, globalized world’. Of course, classical eras existed and persist in several civilisational traditions. Here the focus is on the classical in its encounters with the contemporary in the field of contemporary art and curating. In this context, following James Porter’s topical propositions about ‘what is classical in classical antiquity’, the classical is considered as something that describes not a series of real properties in the world but a set of attitudes about the world; something that is predominantly a ‘habitus and a structure of feeling, by definition elusive, fleeting, paradoxical’, and which is ‘always in question and uncertain of itself”.This concept is used to rethink the classical alongside reframing strategies for contemporary art in cultural institutions with historical collections, and to reflect on curatorial and artistic practices that engage with the notion of non-linear temporality.
 

Edgar Wind and Modern Art: In Defence of Marginal Anarchy

Edgar Wind and Modern Art: In Defence of Marginal Anarchy

Science Art through the Prism of Boundary-work

This article analyzes the relationship between scientific and artistic aspects in such a field of contemporary art as science art. Representatives of presentday art often postulate the harmony of rational-scientific and artistic-aesthetic fields in the art of science art. The criteria for such harmony and the criteria for equality of scientific and artistic elements are not very clear. Viewers often tend to see in the works of science art to a greater extent either a product of scientific activity, or, conversely, an artistic object. The ideas of the so-called “pure science”, which is absolutely impartial and strives only for the knowledge of the truth, are becoming a thing of the past. The main incentive for the development of science is the satisfaction of various social needs, which can be articulated to varying degrees. The approach called boundary-work makes it possible to understand that the boundaries between these aspects, on the one hand, are very mobile and flexible, on the other hand, they act as social structures built with certain goals. Thomas F. Gerin also used the term boundary-work to distinguish between scientific, unscientific, in a different sense scientific, and so on. Such a distinction is necessary when, for one reason or another, borders are rejected or, conversely, arbitrarily imposed and propagandized. Each time the boundaries of science are established anew, depending on the political and cultural context that defines the essentialist or constructivist understanding of scientific activity. Science art Science art clearly goes beyond both science and art, forming a kind of third field. The existence on the border creates openness not only for science and art, but also for other forms of consciousness. The analyzed field of art makes it possible to reveal the hidden connections between science and art and to assert that, apparently, we are now witnessing the emergence of a certain new type of activity that carries the features of both science and art. In addition, there is hope that science art will help deepen our understanding of both science and art, their essence and their role in human life and social reality, in human creativity and personal development.

A Sociological Theory of Contemporary Art Collectors

This article presents a theory of contemporary art collectors. Using data from in-depth interviews with twenty-eight art collectors in the United States, Latin America, and Europe, recruited from art fairs and social media platforms, we describe the pathways into collecting and the types of social positions that collectors assume in the contemporary art field. Interviews describe three entry points into art collecting: purchasing art for decorative reasons; exposure to the art through attending college; and growing up in a family that participates in the arts. The interviews describe two ways that collectors interact with the art field. Sometimes, collectors are “hierarchically oriented” when they buy and sell art in ways meant to increase their status and financial position. At other times, collectors are “communally oriented” when they collect art that reflects personal relationships with artists and artist organizations. The discussion section addresses collecting as a lifestyle, study limitations, and avenues for future research.